Work equipment



Nov. 9, 1937. H. L. DE LISLE 2,098,655"

WORK EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 '7 5? 3 gEgrold' Z. Dell isle JL M NOV. 9, 1937. D 5 2,098,655

. WORK EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [mi/672L 07 I ffZzroZcZ 1:. Del 5Z6 gin- M Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to work equipment comprising, in general, a table, desk or the like and a chair associated therewith for movement parallel thereto. The invention is of particular utility as embodied in a work table for drafting equipment including a tiltable drawing board carried by the table and a light overhanging the board, the light being alsoadjustable to the position of the chair with respect to the table by being mounted to reciprocate thereon.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of elements contributing to enhanced comfort and efiiciency of the .worker, together-withsimplicity and economy of manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side velevational view of one preferred form of equipment embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a partial'front elevational view of the same; 7

Figure 3 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2,

7 showing details of construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section takenonthelineA-l of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig.2;

Figure 6 is a partial vertical section throughthe lamp supportingineans taken on the line 66 of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a partial elevation of the lamp carriage, being-a section on the line"l-I of Figure 6.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction'shown in the drawings, what I refer to generally as a work table is'here represented by the drafting desk I0 perferably made of steel and in major part of conventional construction.

-As hereshown, the-desk! has mounted thereon a drafting or drawing board I I pivoted at the front of the desk I9 as at I2 so as to be tiltable at or other chair I6. Inaccordancewith the present embodiment of my invention, the chair includes a seat H which may be padded as desired and a back-rest I8 preferably similarly padded. The seat and back-rest are here shown supported by legs I9. ,Each leg I9 is pivoted as by the pivot pin 20 to one of the horizontal struts 2I of the chair base 22. The legs I9 are provided with vertically aligned holes i911 and the struts 2| with horizontally spaced holes '2 Ia so that the location of the pivot pins or bolts 20 may be altered as desired to adjust the chair I6 to different heights, and toward or away from the desk I 0. The legs of the standard I 9 are desirably elongated both for thepurpose of elevating the seat I! to a suitable height appropriate to the height of the drafting board I I and also for the purpose of providing a substantially longlever-arm for the advantages later pointed out. I

The standard I9'and the base 22 may be advantageously formed of tubular steel material for strength, convenience of construction and attractiveness of appearance, and may be enameled or otherwise decorated in a color, for example, to match thecolor of the desk I0. Thus the legs I9 are pivoted formovement on the base, toward and away from-the desk II], to suit the convenience-of the worker. To limit movement of the standard I9, as just described, I'may provide a pair of stop bars 29 and'30. The bar29 is held at one end of the normal arc of rotation of the standard I9, as by being carried by brackets 3I shown in this instance as continuations of feet 32 of the base 22. Location of the bar 29 may be variedfrom front to rear by being received selectivelyin notches 23 in the brackets 3I (see Fig.3). A spring 2.1 housed in one or both of the brackets 3 I ,keyed at one end as at28 to the base frame 22 and at'the other end I asat'29a. to'the slidable rod 30, is arranged :to'be placed under tension as the standard I9 is tilted forward from the vertical position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to an alternative position nearer the desk II) such as indicated bythe broken lines of Fig. '1. The rod 30 slides in slots 24 in the brackets 3I and when the weight of the user is taken 01f the chair it is retracted by the rearward 7 leaves the seat, spring 21 automatically restores it to its normal position. Rod 29 has reduced ends which are received in the narrow portions of the notches23, the rod being removable by raising 9 1? end thereof so that the reduced portion of the bar passes out of engagement with the narrow portion through the larger portion of the notch.

Further in accordance with the present em bodiment of my invention, the base 22 of the chair I6 is mounted on rollers or other anti-friction means for movement as a whole rectilinearly with respect to the desk I0 and at a fixed distance from the desk. For this purpose, I have shown the feet 32 terminating in preferably rubber-tiredwheels 33 suitably journaled to each of the feet 32 as at 34, these wheels resting for rolling contact on the fioor spaced apart in a common plane, fixed, as next described, withrespect to the desk II) and parallel thereto. For connecting the chair to the desk to permit this movement in a fixed plane, I desirably provide that the struts 2| of the base '22 extend toward the desk and each terminates in rollers 34 and" 35 which are rollingly received in a box-like foot rest 36 which forms somewhat of a parallelogram with the base struts 2| and vertical flange of the base brace 25. The f0ot rest36 may be a steel channel bar telescoping over the rollers 34,35 and extending along the front of thedesk I0 parallel with the plane of movement of the chair and aflixed to the desk as by screws 38 or the like. The foot-rest 36 may be formed with one angular part 39 having a horizontal surface 40 upon which run the rollers 35 suitably axled to the struts 2| as at 31 on a horizontal axis, the rollers 35 thus having contact by gravity upon the track 40 and being adapted to roll upon the surface 40 thereof in a plane parallel with the wheels 33. To maintain the rollers 35 from running off the track 40 and in a fixed plane with respect thereto, I may provide the other pair of rollers 34 one at each end of the struts 2| and suitably journaled thereon as at 43 upon a vertical axis, each of the rollers 34 extending beneath the top of the member 35 and contacting the lateral walls 44 and 45 of the run-way formed in' this instance by an angle-bar 46 constituting a part of member 35. Thus the two rollers 35 may rollingly support the weight of the chair It at its forward end, and the two rollers 34 maintain the chair at a fixed distance from the desk ID in its movement with respect thereto;

Myimproved work equipment in its illustrative embodiment as a drafting table also desirably includes a light such as the electric lamp 5| carried by desk II) for movement similar to that of thechair I6. As here shown the lamp 5| is shown carriedby the adjustable arm '52 through which passes theinsulated conductor 52a, and this arm is in turn attached'to a carriage 53 movable along a track 54 secured to theupper rear edge of the drawing board H as by screws 55 best shown in Fig. 5. The carriage 53 has a pair of wheels 56 journaled to the carriage 53 on a horizontal axis as at 51 and which are held to their engagement with the track 54 by vertically axled rollers 58 which contact the lateral walls 59', 60 of the channeled member 6| which rollingly encloses these rollers and is a functional part of the track54 being suitably secured to the part 54a thereof.

The arm 52 passes rotatively through a bracket 62 fixed to the carriage 53 and terminates in a collar 6| which is pressed by a spring against a shouldered portion 63 also fixed to the carriage 53, the spring 65 'being compressed between the bracket and the collar to provide the desired friction on' turning the arm 52.

l6, by a slight pressure upon the desk ID, from side to side of the desk as the necessities of his work upon the drafting board may dictate, and at the same time he may move the seat nearer the drawing board to suit his convenience. At the same time, when he leaves the chair, it remains at a predetermined distance from the desk and is always in position for immediate use being, in fact, practically a unitary part of the desk. Furthermore, as he moves the chair from side to side he may also similarly move, the lamp 5| or, if he wishes to stand while working, he may move the lamp to one side of the desk (as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2) and roll the chair out of his way to the other side.

It will be noted that by the construction described, the track is supported by the desk thus leaving the floor in the vicinity of the chair wholly unobstructed except by the chair base itself. Also the chair base has only four legs including the two which are carried on the track by a cantilever action support.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to details of construction shown for purposes of exemplification. Furthermore, it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly, as various combinations and subcombinations may be advantageously employed.

Such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:-

1. In drafting equipment of the class described, the combination including a work table, a track carried by and suspended on said table along the front thereof parallel with the bottom of the table and spaced thereabove, a chair base associated with the table and having a horizontal strut carrying a roller engageable with said track to run thereon and a vertical foot rigid with the strut having a roller engageable with a floor or the like whereby the floor is wholly unobstructed except by the chair base itself in the region thereof, said track comprising a box-like channel bar receiving a plurality of rollers carried by the strut, one of said rollers being horizontally axled to movably support the strut on the track andthe other roller being vertically axled and engaging a pair of vertical walls in the channel to prevent substantial movement of the strut away from the track.

2. In drafting equipment of the class described, the combination including a work table, a track supported on said table along the front thereof parallel with the bottom of the table and spaced thereabove, a chair base associated with the table and having horizontal struts carrying a pair of rollers engageable with said track to run thereon and a pair of vertical feet rigid with the struts each having a roller engageable with a floor or the like, said chair base being otherwise unsupported, said track comprising a box-like channel bar receiving a plurality of rollers carried by each strut, one of said rollers being horizontally axled to movably support the strut on the track and the other roller being vertically axled andengaging a portion of the bar to prevent substantial movement of the strut away from the track, said portion of the bar engaged by the vertically axled roller being of inverted channel formation and said roller being received between the downwardly directed flanges of this channel, the upper outer surface of the said portion forming a foot-rest extending along the front of the table parallel with and above the track.

3. In drafting equipment of the class described, the combination including a work desk, a track carried by said desk along the front thereof parallel with the bottom of the desk and spaced thereabove, a chair base associated with the base and having a pair of horizontal struts each carrying a roller engageable with said track to run thereon and a vertical foot rigid with each strut having a roller engageable with a floor or the like, a fixed brace connecting said pair of struts, a bracket extending upwardly of each strut, a removable bar extending between the brackets adjustable toward and from the desk, a standard pivoted on the base and swingable between the said bar and the desk toward and away from the latter, said standard carrying a seat, and means actuated by movement of the standard toward the desk for retracting the standard toward said bar.

4. In drafting equipment of the class described, the combination including a work desk, a track carried by said desk along the front thereof parallel with the bottom of the desk and spaced thereabove, a pair of horizontal struts each carrying a roller engageable with said track to run thereon, a vertical foot rigid with each strut having a roller engageable with a floor or the like, a fixed brace connecting said struts, a bracket extending upwardly of each strut, a removable bar extending between the brackets adjustable toward and from the desk, a standard pivoted on each strut, a seat carried by the standards, said seat and standards being unitarily swingable between the said bar and the desk toward and away from the latter, and spring means for retracting the standards toward the bar as an abutment.

5. In equipment of the class described, the combination including a table, a chair base associated with the table, a track for the chair base along the table front providing a guide for parallel movement of the chair base with respect to the table at a uniform distance therefrom, said track being carried solely by the table spaced upwardly from the floor, anti-friction means carried by the chair base and bearing on the track supporting the chair base and permitting said movement of the base, said chair base having at least three points of support being supported on the floor at a point spaced from the table and being otherwise unsupported except by a cantilever support on said track, and a seat carried by the base and movable n the base toward and from the table.

6. In work equipment of the class described, the combination including a work table, a chair base associated with the table, a track for the chair base along the table front providing a guide for parallel movement of the chair base with respect to the table at a uniform distance therefrom, said track being carried solely by the table spaced upwardly from the floor, anti-friction means carried by the chair base and bearingon the track supporting the chair base and permitting said movement of the chair base, said chair base having at least two points of support in a single plane spaced from the table and being otherwise unsupported except on said track, and' a seat pivotally carried by the base on a substantially long lever arm for tilting the seat on the base from a vertical position toward the table independently of the relative movement of the base and table.

HAROLD L. DE LISLE. 

